Common terms and related acronyms specific to WashU, Workday, and the API Portal.
Additional information is available at the the Data Governance web-site or visit the Data Governance Center. You can also reach out to the Integrations team using the Integrations Support link.
Academic Affiliate – Individuals who are associated with WashU through an appointment with an academic unit, are not in an employment relationship, are not paid, and do not have positions or supervisory organization assignments.
Administrative Information System (AIS) – One of the legacy Finance systems that provides financial data to WashU. This is being replaced by the Workday Finance (FIN) module.
Anypoint Exchange – The website where integrators can request access, view available endpoints, and review the specs of the WashU APIs. You may also hear this page referred to as the WashU API portal.
Application Programming Interface (API) – An API is a set of definitions and protocols for building and integrating application software. APIs are a simplified way to connect your own infrastructure through cloud-native app development, but they also allow you to share your data with customers and other external users. The API can export data (Outbound) from Workday, import data (Inbound) into Workday, or both (Bi-Directional). WashU APIs include Person, Financial, Supplier, Location and Organization.
Contingent Worker – Individuals who are not employed by WashU and are not paid via payroll, but have a need to access our systems. Such as a consultant, contractor, or student.
Cost Center (CC) – Cost Centers are currently referred to as departments, 9 funds, or zero funds. Cost centers are the lowest level of fiscal responsibility and management within the university. They are the level at which budgets are created and transactions happen. Workday allows WashU to organize cost centers into hierarchies to better track and report on revenue and expenses above and below the department level. All employees will be assigned a home cost center that can be used as a default on financial transactions, but not all cost centers will have people assigned. A Cost Center example is CC0000020 Pathology – Lab & Genomic Med – Clinical – Lab Directorships.
Cost Center Hierarchy (CCH) – An organization of Cost Centers that can be used for reporting at various levels, depending on the needs of the unit, division, school or university. Think of cost centers and cost center hierarchies as a way to organize the university’s financial structure. An example of a hierarchy would be Washington University Reporting Hierarchy and the hierarchy ID would be CH00001.
Cost Center Hierarchy Rollup (CCHR) – The level of the Cost Center Hierarchy. An example of a CCHR ID would be CH00213 and the Rollup description would be Pathology – Lab & Genomic Medicine (LGM).
Data Governance (DG) – Data governance ensures that data is accurate, consistent, and understood through the creation of structures, processes and tools. The Data Governance teams goals at WashU are to minimize the risk of inconsistent or inaccurate data and improve the ability to collect, report, and analyze data important for decision-making.
Data Relay Application (DRA) – The DRA is both a .net core application as well as a framework comprised of many technologies that support the automated and managed movement of data between two systems.
Data Warehouse (DW) – A centralized repository of data so that a shared, single source of truth may exist. The Data Warehouse along with tools, training and processes, will enable units to leverage the university’s data as an asset. The Data Warehouse will be the location for all non-Workday reporting including: Custom/Ad Hoc reporting, Cross-Domain Reporting and Legacy HRMS and AIS/FIS data.
Enterprise Interface Builder (EIB) – An EIB grabs data from a source (Workday) using a Workday custom report as its data source, converts into a text file and then transports the data to a source system via sFTP, Web Service, etc… Much like the API, the EIB can export or import data from/to Workday/Application.
Employee – Individuals who are employed by WashU and paid through payroll, such as faculty, staff, or student employee.
Endpoint – An endpoint is a sub-level of the API. For example the Person API has endpoints for worker, academic affiliates, teaching load, etc.
Foundation Data Model (FDM) – This may also be referred to as a Chart of Accounts. FDM provides structure for all financial data in the system.
Finance – Workstream also referred to as FIN.
Financial Information System (FIS) – One of the legacy Finance systems that provides financial data to WashU. This is being replaced by the Workday Finance (FIN) module.
Go-Live -The big day that WashU will ‘flip the switch” and start using Workday. The Go-Live date is 7/1/2021. Currently there are 90 applications with 226 individual integrations to/from Workday.
Human Capital Management – Workstream also referred to as HCM.
Human Resource Management System (HRMS) – The legacy HR system that currently provides HR data to WashU. This is being replaced by the Workday Human Capital Management (HCM) module.
Integration Data Store (IDS) – The IDS optimizes the extract and storage of high volume Workday data for the WashU API portal. The IDS reduces data latency, supports filtering that is not available through Workday, and optimizes the vCores to allow for effective cost and performance.
Inbound – Inbound integration data that is sent from an application to Workday.
Integrations – A data exchange between two systems or applications. This term may also be used in reference to the Integrations team. The integrations team is responsible for providing all HCM and FIN data that applications require using tools such as Postman, Mulesoft and delivering that data via API or EIB’s.
Integrator – An integrator is anyone working on the task of integrating data between a source and target application, such as a solution architect, application architect, technical resource, PM or BA.
Internal Service Delivery (ISD) – Allows for internal billing of goods and services exchanged between WashU cost centers.
Internal Service Provider (ISP) – An ISP is part of Workday’s internal service delivery (ISD) functionality. It is a cost center that offers a defined set of goods or services to other areas within WashU. An internal service provider must be set up in Workday and must be associated with a cost center and business unit in order to create internal service deliveries. Many, but not all, ISPs will be recharge centers
Mulesoft – A vended product that provides an integration platform to help businesses connect data, applications and devices across on-premise and cloud computing environments. The Integrations team uses the various components of Mulesoft (Mulesoft Anypoint, Mulesoft Anypoint Studio Mulesoft CloudHub) to design and build the APIs.
MyDay – A multi-year endeavor to replace the university’s core Human Resources (HRMS), Finance (AIS/FIS) and Student administrative systems with a single, central, integrated system. It also includes a number of other key initiatives to improve reporting, access to information and strategic decision making.
Outbound – Outbound integrations data that is sent from Workday to an application.
Postman – A development tool which helps to build, test and modify APIs.
Reporting – Workday is the primary location for HR and FIN reporting. The Reporting team is responsible for assessing current HR/FIN reports and incorporating as many as possible into Workday.
Service Delivery Model (SDM) – The post-launch support framework (processes, teams, tools) to manage issue resolution post go-live, and deliver a smooth experience for WashU employees, managers, department and school leaders.
Single Sign On (SSO) – This web technology allows a user to login once, to the first accessed application, and re-use that existing session across any system consuming the same integration credential. As long as the web browser remains open, the logged in session remains active and the user won’t need to enter their credentials when traveling between integrated web applications.
Student – Just as it sounds, Student is the next phase of the Workday implementation. The Workday Student team (Student Sunrise) will facilitate the replacement of student applications and is slated to go live during the 2024-2025 academic year.
Supervisory Organization – WashU currently organizes employees by department. In Workday this changes to become Supervisory Organizations. Sup Orgs allow positions to be grouped together into an organizational structure or hierarchy that details who reports to whom.
Workday – A cloud based vendor that specializes in HCM and FIN applications. WashU is using Workday as its system of record.
Workstreams -WashU currently organizes employees by department. In Workday this changes to become Supervisory Organizations. Sup Orgs allow positions to be grouped together into an organizational structure or hierarchy that details who reports to whom.
HCM Workstreams – Absence Management, Benefits, Compensation, Core HCM, Onboarding, Payroll, Recruiting, Talent and Time Tracking
FIN Workstreams – Banking & Settlement, Budgets, Business Assets, Capital Projects, Endowments, Expenses, Financial Accounting, Grants, ISD, Non-Capital, Planning and Budgets, Procurement, Revenue and Supplier Accounts
Worktags – Data elements, or tags, attached to all financial transactions. They clarify the business purposes of financial transactions and establish common relationships between them through classification.